Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
I reach out and open the door to the SUV, motioning for her to get in. I brace myself for the fight she’s going to put up, but to my surprise, she simply gets in and scoots all the way across the seat to the window.
My fingers itch to reach out, grab her, and pull her to me, but I don’t. Instead, I let the silence fill the space between us. She keeps her focus out the window, and I can’t help but stare at her.
I know we are only a short distance from the main house now, and I don’t want to miss her reaction when she first lays eyes on it. I’ve waited so long for this moment. To share in this dream she once had for us.
Little does she know that it’s about to become reality. That I listened intently to all of her ideas all those years ago as though my next breath depended on it. And this place is only the start. I just had no idea that we would need this place so soon, and I’m damn glad I didn’t wait to build it.
The moment the property comes into view, I see and hear her sharp inhale of breath. A feeling of satisfaction fills me at her reaction. But nothing could have prepared me for the look that is in her eyes when she turns to face me.
“How?” The one word slips past her lips, tears brimming in her eyes. She turns back to look out the window again. The car comes to a stop, and before I can answer her, she hops out. I follow closely behind, not wanting to miss a second of this. “This isn’t possible. I must be dreaming.”
I wrap my arms around her from behind, pulling her into me. There were many nights we’d lie under the stars and talk about life. About how it killed her father when he lost his wife. You never know how much time you have with people. Her father worked obsessively. He always felt he had to give them the best of everything.
All that work he put in to make money couldn’t buy back all the time he could have had with her mom. She made me promise that would never be us. That we could one day have a place that was only ours, and the rest of the world could fall away.
I suggested a small island. She laughed, thinking I’d lost my mind. You don’t just buy islands. But I did. My Neverland always loved to tell stories, so I asked her what that house would be like if she could have it her way. I took all of it in, storing every little detail.
The architect thought I’d lost it when I told him what I wanted. A Victorian style home with wraparound porches but modernly updated. Between him and one of the best designers in the world, we pulled it off.
“It doesn’t look like it belongs.” She smiles up at it, unmoving. It’s not a typical beach house, but there is nothing typical about Melody. Her imagination has always been a world of her own making. My dream was only to make it come true. To show her that I could make her vision a reality.
“Isn’t that part of the point? A slice of heaven that is of our own making?” I use the words she's said to me before.
“Our very own Neverland.”
13
MELODY
A dream I’ve had for so long sits in front of me, but I know those never last. It’s why it’s called Neverland. You can never reach it. Once upon a time for a brief moment, I thought I could. But that’s the whole point of a fairy tale. It’s too good to be true. It’s why we read the stories and soak them into our souls trying to get a taste of them.
Easton helped me heal from losing my mom. I didn’t think I wanted to ever love another person. Why? It hurt too much. But he pulled me in, giving me things no one ever did.
Each day, I would have to go home and comfort everyone else, but it was only Easton who knew I needed comforting too. He gave me hope, and more than that, he made me believe in myself. Reminded me that everyone else's burdens weren’t mine, and I should have a dream of my own.
Without him, I never would have written that first book and wouldn’t be halfway through my next. I didn’t think I had what it would take. Both of my parents were successful at one time. The fear of failing scared me even while I hated how much my family would work and focus on material things and not memories.
“Do you want to see the inside?” Easton’s question pulls me back from being lost in my memories. I hadn’t even realized that I had relaxed into him. His mouth is now only mere inches away from my ear. The closeness causes goosebumps to break out along my skin. I could get lost in this fantasy if I allowed myself to.